


Hey Dude, I Think I Love You

by hyunchanee_exo



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bisexual Park Chanyeol, Cute Byun Baekhyun, F/M, Fluff, Gamer Byun Baekhyun, Gay Byun Baekhyun, M/M, Slice of Life, Strangers to Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 16:56:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18815107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyunchanee_exo/pseuds/hyunchanee_exo
Summary: Chanyeol can't help but fall in love with Baekhyun.





	Hey Dude, I Think I Love You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aeridynamic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeridynamic/gifts).



> This is for the sweetest bub in the whole world. 
> 
> Dearest Ai, Happy Birthday.

The first time Chanyeol met Baekhyun was during a double date.

College is one of the most stressful years that Chanyeol had the misfortune to be obligated to attend if he wanted to have a stable future. He always wanted to study music, but both his parents forced him to get a degree in business instead. He’s dumb in anything related to numbers, so he had to work harder than most of the students in his year along with the fact that he fucking hated what he had to study.

And so, that prompted him to go and fuck around with people just to unwind and relax.

Chanyeol didn’t really mind whoever he hooked up with or dated. Over the course of the three years that he had been in college, Chanyeol has been with numerous girls and boys, most of whom didn’t really last long. Two to three months was the longest, but even that relationship wasn’t even really serious.

At the time, Chanyeol was with this girl named Minkyung. She was lovely, with the prettiest face and the most easygoing personality. He met her through a friend, and they immediately clicked after constantly chatting and going out on dates. They have been two weeks into their relationship when Minkyung asked him if they can go on a group date with her friend and her boyfriend.

“Sure, why not?” Chanyeol answered, which he was rewarded with a cute little kiss on the cheek.

And so, that weekend, Chanyeol and Minkyung met up with the other pair at a local mall.

Chanyeol didn’t really think much about the couple that they were about to be with. Hell, even when Minkyung told him who they were, he didn’t even look them up. He only knew the basics from what his girlfriend had mentioned – Baekhyun and Yebin, both a year younger than they are. Yebin was Minkyung’s junior from high school, and they recently met again when Yebin transferred to their college.

When they finally met up with the other couple, Chanyeol was slightly amused at their dynamics. Yebin was a girl with lovely sharp features who wore punk-inspired clothes – mostly black and red, with lots of chains and nice dark make-up. Meanwhile, contrasting with that was her boyfriend Baekhyun, being all cute and shit with his droopy eyes, pouty but small lips, oversized pink hoodie, black jeans and sneakers. He was stoic as he just sucked on a lollipop, eyes downcast while his girlfriend did all the talking, looking like he didn’t want to be here.

Chanyeol had this weird desire to make him smile.

“I’m glad I could finally meet you, Chanyeol!” Yebin exclaimed happily. “You know, Minkyung talks a lot about you when we meet up once in a while. Now I know why!”

“Shut up,” Minkyung laughed as she tenderly pinched the younger girl’s cheek.

“I’m glad too, you’re really enthusiastic,” Chanyeol nodded with a charming, toothy smile. His eyes shifted towards Baekhyun, who finally looked up. Their eyes meet, but Baekhyun quickly averted his gaze, looking down as he rubbed one sneaker against the other.

“Your boyfriend doesn’t seem glad, though,” he added.

Baekhyun looked back up and opened his mouth, attempting to say something but his girlfriend beat him to it.

“Sorry!” Yebin cried out as she slipped her arms around Baekhyun’s arm. “Baekhyun isn’t that talkative, he’s quite the loner. Right, babe?”

“I don’t even want to be here,” Baekhyun bluntly stated, much to Yebin and Minkyung’s shock, their jaws drops. Chanyeol’s eyes widened, surprised at what he just said as well.

_This dude's got spunk._

“Babe…” Yebin whined as she tugged at his arm. “That’s rude…”

“You not telling me ahead of time that we’re having a double date is much ruder,” Baekhyun laughed cynically. “Literally, I was in the middle of a game with my friends and you just grabbed me out of my room.”

“Because you wouldn’t come if I told you ahead of time!” Yebin exclaimed.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “You’re out here being in a relationship with me but you don’t even trust me enough to do my role as your boyfriend.”

“I didn’t say that!”

“Yeah, but it _shows_ ,” Baekhyun snapped. “This has happened lots of times for the past month. I’m honestly sick of it.”

Yebin’s jaw dropped once more as she gasped in disbelief. Chanyeol pursed his lips, just standing there awkwardly while Minkyung attempted to ease up the situation.

“Hey, umm-”

“Is that what you really think?” Yebin said, not letting Minkyung finish what she was about to say. “You’re sick of us?”

“I didn’t say of _us,_ don’t twist my words.”

“Well it’s obvious, you jerk!” Yebin yelled as she suddenly slapped Baekhyun’s cheek then stomped away angrily. In a rush of panic, Minkyung yelled for her friend’s name and then ran after her, leaving Chanyeol with Baekhyun, who has his head dipped down and his hand curled up into fists.

“Umm…” Chanyeol began, stepping forward towards Baekhyun. “Dude… are you okay? Does it hurt?”

Baekhyun did not respond for the first few moments. Chanyeol waited for a response, hands in his pocket as he tilted his head and tried to get a glimpse of the expression on Baekhyun’s face so he would know what to do about the situation.

Moments later, Baekhyun finally looked up and instead of an upset expression that Chanyeol had initially expected, he’s surprised to see a smirk matched with a little chuckle as he took out the lollipop from his cherry glossed lips.

“That went well,” he sarcastically said. “Dating a girl is fucking hard, dude.”

“You could say that,” Chanyeol nodded in agreement, still stunned at how terribly honest he was. “Why’d you date her, then?”

Baekhyun shrugged, bottom lip jutted out. “I just wanted to find out what it feels like to date a woman. Turns out it just can’t work with me. I’m stuck with asses and dick, bro.” He faked a sad expression as he brought his lollipop to his hollowed mouth and pumped it up and down in a lewd, suggestive gesture.

“Seriously, it’s no fun," he sighed.

Chanyeol grinned cheekily as he shrugged.

“Can’t relate, diversity is the way of the bisexual.”

Baekhyun’s eyes curved up into crescents and he laughed for the first time ever since this started.

 _Fuck he’s cute,_ Chanyeol mentally said as he stared at him like a creep.

“Well,” Baekhyun shrugged as he put the lollipop back into his mouth. Chanyeol was strangely engrossed with that, eyes stuck on the way Baekhyun’s lips curved around the stick of the lollipop. “I gotta say, I’m sorry for that. It was kind of embarrassing. You should be with your girlfriend right now.”

“Nah, it’s fine dude,” Chanyeol shook his head as he waved a hand. “Although I did envision having fun today. Exams is in two weeks, this might be my only chance to go out and have some fun.”

“Crap, now I feel guilty as fuck,” Baekhyun said dryly with mock remorse. Chanyeol chuckled, and so did Baekhyun who reached out and playfully punched his chest. “Kidding. How can I make it up you, then?”

Chanyeol shrugged nonchalantly as he pointed a thumb over his shoulder. “Let’s go hang-out? You seem like a nice dude. I’m fucking hungry, let’s grab lunch.”

“Awesome,” Baekhyun said as he followed after the taller who led the way.

And that’s how their unlikely friendship blossomed.

Chanyeol may be an outgoing and social guy who always wants to be in every party, but he still matched perfectly with Baekhyun, who was content with staying indoors to game all day because he hated the presence of people he did not know. They were so different, but it’s probably because of Baekhyun’s honesty and Chanyeol’s never-ending curiosity that has them blending together like different shades of watercolors rather than oil and water.

“Why do you keep on waiting for me after classes?” Baekhyun asked with little to no emotion as he walked on with Chanyeol following after him. Ever since Baekhyun agreed to let Chanyeol play with one of his games that Chanyeol had been dying to play but had no money to purchase, he’s been picking him up after his classes so they could walk home together.

“Why, do you hate it?” Chanyeol asked as he slung his arm over his shoulders.

“Well, no, but like… how about Minkyung?” Baekhyun said, leaning back against Chanyeol's shoulder to look up at him. “Isn’t she, like, not bothered over the fact that you haven’t been spending time with her?”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Chanyeol said, ruffling his fluffy brown hair. “What we do have to worry is where to buy those delicious snacks that Sehun sent to the groupchat. Fuck, I’ve been salivating over it since last night.”

“Fuck, you’re right,” Baekhyun gasps as he grabs Chanyeol’s arm. “Should we drop by his apartment? Let’s terrorize him so he would spill about where to buy it.”

“Great idea.”

Everything is just too perfect between them. In such a short amount of time, they seem to function with one braincell. They just seem to know what the other wants, and it so happens that they agree to what the other wants, too.

“You and Baekhyun are really good friends,” Minkyung observed one day while eating at a café with Chanyeol. It has been three months since the double date. Three months since Chanyeol met Baekhyun. Four months in a relationship with Minkyung that didn’t make him feel anything explosively special.

“He has an interesting way of living,” Chanyeol answered as he bit into his sandwich. “Cool dude.”

If Chanyeol had to be honest, Baekhyun is more than just a cool dude.

That gaming addict who has the most diverse collection of hoodies was more than just cool. Chanyeol liked everything about him – his dry-ass humor, his passion for cats, his colorful selection of swear words when he is gaming, his shallow tears for cute things, his cherry red lips that wasn’t just colored like that because of the lollipop that he had been sucking on the first time they met, his interest in make-up tutorials, his droopy eyes and not to mention his thicc bod underneath all those hoodies…

It’s so obvious that Chanyeol saw him more than just a friend.

And that’s why, one day, he invited Baekhyun over to his apartment.

It was afternoon, and Chanyeol knew it wasn’t really a good idea to get drunk during this time of the day. But at that moment, it just felt so right getting the slightest bit intoxicated with booze.

“Why did you break-up with Minkyung?!” was the first thing that Baekhyun yelled at him when he crashed into his apartment, having the privilege to do so because he had a spare key. He cringed, probably because Chanyeol has that loud, obnoxious dubstep music blaring from his speakers again.

“Ayeeee you wore that cute thing again,” Chanyeol slurred, laughing when he noticed that Baekhyun had worn the same pink hoodie as the one that he had been wearing back when they first met.

“Pink is badass, you asshole,” Baekhyun snapped at him as he crashed on the couch next to him and reached for a bottle of beer, feeling right at home as he stretched his legs and put his feet up on the table that had pink socks to match with his hoodie.

Chanyeol was silent as he stared out into space, his head leaned over the backrest of his couch with his brows furrowed. Baekhyun found this weird so he turned to his side and poked Chanyeol on the cheek.

“Dude, talk. You’re scaring me.” He poked him on the cheek again. “Is your precious little heart aching? What did Minkyung do? Did she cheat on you?”

Chanyeol turned his head and smiled, eyes slightly hooded.

“Nah, she didn’t do anything. It was all on me.”

Baekhyun looked away and smirked in amusement, bringing the beer up to his lips. Chanyeol watched closely as his tongue swiped across his bottom lip, making it look even more glossy as the liquid spread out over the flesh.

“You lost interest?” Baekhyun asked.

“Kinda.”

“Oof,” Baekhyun said as he clicked his tongue. “Bummer. That sucks, man.”

Silence enveloped them for a moment because the dubstep music ended minutes ago and now it was just an edgy, haunting song.

“Fuck, this is depressing,” Baekhyun huffed. “Your playlist is weird. Your parents were right about not sending you to a music school.”

Chanyeol side-eyed him.

“Kidding,” Baekhyun punched his arm.

Just as he said that, the song ended and a new one started.

“Holy shit!” Chanyeol screamed as he shot up to his feet and started to imitate guitar riffs. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, it’s the Jonas Brothers!” Baekhyun screamed as he hopped on to the couch. He brought his half-empty beer to his lips and pretended it’s a microphone. He raised one hand up and started jumping all the while singing, _“I'm slipping into the lava, and I'm trying to keep from going under. Baby you turn the temperature hotter…”_

Chanyeol joined in and they obnoxiously sang out loud while they pointed at each other, _“Cause I'm burnin' up, burnin' up, for you baby!”_

They both laughed as they continued to jam to the song, jumping around Chanyeol’s living room and screaming the lyrics at the top of their lungs. The haze from the beer left Chanyeol’s system, making him more aware of everything that was happening. For a moment, he stopped to gaze at Baekhyun, who had found his way on a spot adjacent to the window. This exposed him to the light of the sunset seeping through the window, casting a warm glow on him. When Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol, he gave him a smile then dashed towards him, taking his hands and pulling him to dance with him.

“I take it back, your playlist isn’t that weird!” Baekhyun yelled at him over the music. “You redeemed yourself with some good ol' Jonas Brother shit!”

Baekhyun’s smile was so beautiful, it made Chanyeol unconsciously step in closer, gravitating towards him like a natural satellite. He kept on smiling, never wavering even when Chanyeol was too close for comfort. But when Baekhyun realized the unnatural proximity, his smile wavered – but in the best way possible. His smile faded into that of wonder, his eyes sparkling with confusion and curiosity at what Chanyeol was planning to do.

“Chanyeol…” Baekhyun murmured, eyes lost deep into Chanyeol’s own.

The song ended, and this time it was replaced by a slow, romantic one.

“Dance with me?” Chanyeol whispered, bringing a hand up. Baekhyun’s eyes momentarily flicked downwards before he looked up and gave him a small, anxious smile as he placed his hand in his.

With sure yet trembling hands, Chanyeol guides Baekhyun’s hands to his shoulder then he gently placed his own on his hips. Shyly, they start moving across the floor with aimless steps.

The way both of them blushed was horrible. Their cheeks were red with their eyes occasionally averting yet always lingering longer every time they find their way back. Call him crazy or corny, but Chanyeol swore he could feel sparks flying as the chemistry between heightened up by each passing second.

“This is something new,” Baekhyun spoke up, trying to sound casual.

“Tipsy while slow dancing at sunset is nice, isn’t it?” Chanyeol murmurs in a low voice.

“Agree,” Baekhyun whispered, gulping as his hands travel upwards to hold Chanyeol’s cheeks. He held his face, eyes flitting from his eyes to his lips, as if taking up everything at a close length as much as he could.

Baekhyun was close, _too_ close. It was Chanyeol’s turn to gulp down the apprehension in his throat, doing his best to restrain his whims.

But there’s no way he can fight against the gravity between them.

Chanyeol closed his eyes and boldly leaned in, slanting his face. He tilted his head, lips closing in on Baekhyun’s plush, soft-looking ones. Baekhyun did not fight, feeling that gravity, too. He closed his own eyes and then let it happen.

 _Fucking magical,_ was all that Chanyeol could think as his lips melt against Baekhyun’s. Cherry red lips against slightly dry yet plump ones. Scents mixing in, so they breathe each other in. Baekhyun’s fingers are soft pressed up against his cheek. Chanyeol’s thumbs move on their own, tracing circles on his hips over the hem of Baekhyun’s shirt. The music was cheesy and corny all at once, but it was just the right vibe so they’re not mad about it.

Chanyeol leaned back, holding Baekhyun’s chin up.

“Still wanna know why I broke up with Minkyung?” he rasped.

“Please tell me I’m not a rebound,” Baekhyun pleaded, looking so vulnerable as his bottom lip trembled with unspoken trepidation.

Chanyeol reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind Baekhyun’s ear.

“It’s unfair for her when my heart is literally beating for no one but you.”

Baekhyun stared up at him for a few seconds before he silently chuckled, holding on to Chanyeol as he looked away. He was nervous, but it got overwhelmed by lighter feelings.

“Romance is fucking embarrassing,” he laughed, shaking his head.

“Hey dude, don’t laugh at me,” Chanyeol groaned. “I think I love you, this is no laughing matter.”

Baekhyun covered his face as he shook his head.

“I love you too, dammit,” he groaned. “Fuck, Chanyeol. I love you too.”

There was nothing else to do but just let their hearts dictate whatever happens next.


End file.
